Toyota News

Toyota Premiers Paralympic Commercial! We’ve written about Toyota’s aim to increase mobility, but now Toyota has created a television commercial called “Mobility For All” which aired during the Winter Olympic Trials with an Olympic and Paralympic message. Created as part of the company’s eight-year global sponsorship of The Olympic and Paralympic Games and as the first-ever Mobility Partner in the history of The Olympic Partner (TOP) Programme to sponsor the mobility category, “Mobility For All” leads Toyota’s first global campaign, “Start Your Impossible.”

A group of 16 distinguished athletes taking part in “Mobility For All” includes: Tatyana McFadden, the world’s leading wheelchair racer, who has won 17 Paralympic medals across five Games for the USA; Brad Snyder, American Paralympic swimmer, former captain of the U.S. Naval Academy swim team and three-time gold medalist at the Paralympic Games Rio 2016; and Rami Anis, a swimmer from Syria, part of the Refugee Olympic Team at the Olympic Games Rio 2016.

“I can’t think of any better stage to announce our evolution as The Human Movement Company than the pinnacle of human movement, The Olympic and Paralympic Games,” said Jack Hollis, group vice president and general manager, Toyota Motor North America. “At Toyota, we believe that movement is a human right. With the ‘Start Your Impossible’ campaign, we aim to inspire people and as a company, aspire to solve challenges and create solutions to mobility barriers that limit human potential.”

“The campaign, was born out of an unprecedented move by Toyota and our long-standing agency partners at Saatchi & Saatchi (Los Angeles and Dallas) and Dentsu (Tokyo) that broke down agency walls to collaborate as one integrated team,” said Hollis.

This standard feature is new for 2018 and also includes features like Anti-lock Brakes (ABS), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), enhanced Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Traction Control (TRAC), and Smart Stop Technology (SST). To add even more safety, the Sienna comes equipped with eight Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) airbags, including dual-stage front airbags, seat-mounted side airbags for the driver and front passenger, side curtain airbags in all three rows, a front passenger seat cushion airbag plus a driver’s side knee airbag. To prevent the possibility of whiplash, active headrests have been added to both front seats.

2018 Prius C Gets New Exterior Design! Toyota’s most affordable hybrid, the 2018 Prius c, is back and better than ever with cutting-edge safety features and the latest in Toyota Entune audio and multimedia. The “c”, which stands for city, gets an impressive EPA-estimated 48 city/43 highway/46 combined miles-per-gallon and features a new crossover-inspired design, including a standard black roof rail accent that’s complemented by front and rear, silver-accented lower body guards and a color-keyed rear spoiler. For 2018, Prius c adds two new colors to the color palette: Sandstorm and, new for Toyota, Tide Pool Pearl.

All grades now come standard with an integrated backup camera for 2018, complementing the existing Toyota Safety Sense C (TSS-C) driver-assist technologies standard on all grades, equipping the hybrid with Pre-Collision System (PCS), Lane Departure Alert (LDA), and Automatic High Beams (AHB). TSS-C is designed to help address three key areas of driver assistance: helping to prevent or mitigate frontal collisions, helping maintain driving within their lane, and help to enhance road safety during nighttime driving.

In line with its strategy, Toyota is on track to have automatic emergency braking systems standard on nearly all its models by the end of 2017. That will put Toyota four years ahead of the model-year 2022 industry target announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

Toyota Celebrates 60 Years in the United States! We shared recently that Toyota had finally opened their new headquarters in Plano, Texas, but after 60 years in the United States, Toyota is a completely new company. Toyota initially opened its North American headquarters on October 31, 1957 in a dealership in Hollywood, California.

Although Toyota’s first American vehicle, the Toyopet Crown was not very successful, Toyota has grown into one of the most recognizable car brands in the country. Now, Toyota has grown to have 10 manufacturing facilities, nearly 1,500 Toyota and Lexus dealerships and 136,000 direct, dealer and supplier U.S. employees

“Celebrating our anniversary isn’t just about the products we’ve sold the past 60 years,” said Toyota Motor North America CEO Jim Lentz. “It’s also about celebrating Toyota’s thousands of employees who will help the company embark on the next leg of its American journey and continuing to improve our products and services for our customers.”

Commemorating its 60th anniversary, Toyota rededicated a 50th anniversary time capsule originally dedicated at its former Torrance, Calif., headquarters in 2007. The capsule—which includes items like a 2000GT die cast matchbox edition model car, an original key for a 1977 Toyota Hilux truck and a Toyota Formula One racer scale model—will be re-opened on the 100th anniversary in 2057. Plano Mayor Harry LaRosiliere, who attended the ceremony, said the capsule marks a new chapter for Toyota.

“As Toyota moved their North American corporate offices to Plano over the last three years, the entire region has experienced the positive impact of their team members unique character and culture. The entire organization exhibits a sense of purpose, innovation, and family. We are proud they call Plano home, and we are honored to be part of today’s anniversary celebration,” LaRosiliere said. “We look forward to the next 60 years with Toyota in the City of Plano.”

Toyota Highlander Named Best SUV for Families! For the 10th consecutive year, experts from both Parents magazine and Edmunds examined and assessed hundreds of vehicles, narrowing down the list to the 10 models that offer the best combination of value, performance, safety and family-friendly features. This year Parents magazine and Edmunds named the Toyota Highlander the Best SUV for families. You may recall that the Highlander was also named a Best Car for the Family by U.S. News.

The editors write about their selection, “If you have kids to carpool, the refreshed Highlander is a perfect pick. It fits your whole crew plus their strollers, backpacks, hockey gear, and more. The drive is as smooth as that of luxury SUVs costing $20,000 more, and the V-6 engine and eight-speed automatic transmission give it extra oomph for freeway entrance ramps. A clever dashboard shelf keeps sunglasses within reach, while the enormous center console can swallow a diaper bag. Standard features include three-zone climate control, five charging ports to keep everyone connected, and a safety bundle that includes a collision avoidance system.”

Toyota Helps Advance Zero Emission Trucking! Toyota is testing the potential of zero-emission trucking with the “Project Portal”- a hydrogen fuel cell system designed for heavy-duty truck use- with the initial 8 truck proof of concept completing more than 4,000 successful development miles, while progressively pulling drayage rated cargo weight, and emitting nothing but water vapor. The concept generates more than 670 horsepower and 1,325 pound feet of torque with a combined weight capacity of 80,000 lbs and an estimated driving range of more than 200 miles per fill in normal conditions.

“Toyota has led the way in expanding the understanding and adoption of fuel cell technology,” said TMNA Executive Vice President Bob Carter. “From the introduction of the Mirai passenger vehicle to the creation of the heavy-duty fuel cell system in Project Portal, Toyota continues to demonstrate the versatility and scalability of the zero-emission fuel cell powertrain.”

The 4Runner offers the choice of 2WD, part-time 4WD with a 2-speed transfer case, or, in the Limited, full-time multi-mode 4WD with a 2-speed transfer case and locking center differential. All 4Runners are equipped with projector beam headlights and LED rear combination lamps. The SR5 and TRD models ride on 17-inch alloy wheels that are available in three designs: 6-spoke (SR5, SR5 Premium), 7-spoke (TRD Off-Road, TRD Off-Road Premium), or a TRD alloy painted matte black (TRD Pro). The TRD Off-Road and TRD Off-Road Premium are distinguished by their color-keyed bumpers and overfenders, hood scoop, and silver painted front and rear bumper accents. “TRD Off-Road” badges adorn the C-pillars.

Standard Entune Multimedia

Entune App Suite is a collection of popular mobile apps and data services. Once a smart phone is connected to the vehicle using Bluetooth or a USB cable, Entune’s features are operated using the vehicle’s controls or, for some services, by voice recognition. Entune offers mobile apps for iHeartRadio, MovieTickets.com, OpenTable, Pandora and others. Entune data services include a fuel price guide, sports scores, stocks, traffic and weather. Like all 2018 Toyota models, the 4Runner line offers an array of Entune Multimedia system choices:

Toyota Brings Hybrid Production to the United States! Toyota is continually listed in Cars.com American-Made index, but now it seems Toyota is investing $373.8 million in U.S. manufacturing plants that will support the production of its first American-made hybrid powertrain and implement Toyota’s New Global Architecture. The projects are scheduled to begin this year and will be operational by 2020.

As the top manufacturer of hybrid vehicles, the investments will include adding new production of hybrid transaxles (hybrid vehicle transmissions) at the Buffalo, West Virginia, manufacturing facility; expanding 2.5-liter engine capacity at the Georgetown, Kentucky, plant; increasing production of 2.5-liter cylinder heads at Bodine Aluminum’s Troy, Missouri, plant; and modifying the Bodine Jackson, Tennessee, plant to accommodate production of hybrid transaxle cases and housings and 2.5-liter engine blocks. The Huntsville, Alabama, plant will undergo a comprehensive upgrade to enable it to build engines that complement TNGA. Fifty new jobs will be created because of the investment at the Alabama plant.

“This investment is part of our long-term commitment to build more vehicles and components in the markets in which we sell them,” said Jim Lentz, CEO, Toyota Motor North America. “This strategy is designed to better serve our customers and dealers, and positions our manufacturing operations to fulfill their needs well into the future.”

“This investment across five American plants expands capacity for our latest TNGA engines, and localizes production of hybrid powertrains, a core Toyota technology,” said Jeff Moore, senior vice president for Manufacturing. “It underscores Toyota’s confidence in the capability and global competitiveness of our North American manufacturing.”

The total investment of $373.8 million will be distributed as follows:

These projects, and others previously announced, move Toyota nearly halfway ($4.1 billion) toward its commitment to invest $10 billion in the U.S., as announced by Toyota Motor Corporation CEO Akio Toyoda in January 2017.

Toyota Moves Forward with Automated Driving Technologies! Recently the Toyota Research Institute is demonstrating the progress it has made in the development of automated driving technology. Using simulation, TRI can accurately and safely test engineering assumptions allowing investors to experience automated driving scenarios in a virtual simulator.

“In the last few months, we have rapidly accelerated our pace in advancing Toyota’s automated driving capabilities with a vision of saving lives, expanding access to mobility, and making driving more fun and convenient,” said Dr. Gill Pratt, CEO of TRI. “Our research teams have also been evolving machine intelligence that can support further development of robots for in-home support of people.”

In the official press release, Toyota explains, “The next iteration, dubbed Platform 2.1, is being shown for the first time on a closed-course. In parallel with the creation of this innovative test platform, TRI has made strong advances in deep learning computer perception models that allow the automated vehicle system to more accurately understand the vehicle surroundings, detecting objects and roadways, and better predict a safe driving route. These new architectures are faster, more efficient and more highly accurate. In addition to object detection, the models’ prediction capabilities can also provide data about road elements, such as road signs and lane markings, to support the development of maps, which are a key component of automated driving functionality.”

“Vehicles with automated driving technology will bring many benefits to society, but one of the top priorities at Toyota is to help make the traffic environment safer,” said Kiyotaka Ise, Chief Safety Technology Officer and Senior Managing Officer of Toyota Motor Corporation. “By having our vehicle technologies seamlessly anticipate and interact with human beings and the traffic environment, we will get closer to realizing a future without traffic injuries or fatalities.”

According to the official press release other features include, “Exclusive interior features include carbon-fiber-like trim panels, leather-wrapped shift knob, “RAV4 Adventure” logoed door sill protectors, and all-weather floor and cargo mats with “RAV4 Adventure” badging. New and exclusive for the RAV4 Adventure grade is a 120V/100W power outlet in the cargo area which can serve as a convenient portable charging station.”